There are currently a plethora of business communication constructions, marketing and advertising pieces and other items that are available in the market today for communicating products and services with an intended audience. Yet with this inordinately large selection of offerings and permutations, there remains a continuing need to develop new products and new and innovative mechanisms to deliver such products. The changing landscape is largely due to technological adaptation, emerging societal trends, diversification of marketing, packaging and advertising campaigns and new information handling needs of businesses and consumers alike.
The market for printed communication material is also changing and becoming more sophisticated with the customers for such products, correspondingly becoming more demanding in having the communication deliver a more impact making message to customers.
Printed products, such as communication pieces and other assemblies that are intended to be used in business communications, can be delivered in a wide variety of formats, constructions and configurations. However, the difficulty arises in maximizing the contact with each individual customer in order to try and capture repeat business opportunities with customers previously serviced by the business.
In addition to the foregoing dilemma of having to create more meaningful and impact making messages, manufacturers and suppliers of such business communication products also need new and interesting ways to connect with different market segments and obtain additional customers for their products. No longer is it sufficient for a supplier of such business communication products to simply expect product orders to be delivered to a manufacturing location.
There are a wide variety of consumer retail outlets, seasonal kiosk installations and the like. Each of these retail locations typically focus on a single product, such as beverage, convenience foods, consumer products and the like. Occasionally, retail installations may blend consumer oriented activities, such as a consumer products location offering a beverage service, e.g. coffee stand, or other consumer oriented services, namely banking or other financial services.
Many consumers today need business communication products and are often subjected to having to select from a number of pre-formatted or generic office products selections that may be available at large retail outlets. Such offerings are intended to be processed on the home office or small office printing equipment which is often limited in the print resolution.
While these products fill a viable niche in the marketplace, they are typically provided to the consumer as part of a generic stock offering, such as is commonly found in retail bins or on shelves. Such products commonly offer no professional personalization or the ability to significantly modify the format in which the products are produced. These products offer little in the way of customization or quality which means that the consumer must offer “home made” looking communication pieces to business associates and other possible professionals and potential customers which may detract from the message that a user may wish to provide. With the increase in small businesses, there is a need to obtain more sophisticated communication products without necessarily increasing the cost of obtaining such products.
What is needed therefore is a retail system in which active professionals can obtain a variety of consumer goods, ready to eat convenience foods and obtain customized business communication products and other premium printing services which heretofore were unavailable.